I made it 3ft x 3ft. I could have gone larger, but I wanted to be able to move it in and out of my window. I was a little unsure if it would create enough power, but time will tell. It's working right now as I type this.

For the power storage I am using 2 golf cart batteries. I got them from a friend for free, because he wrecked is golf cart. I guess they're being a little more useful now. Still time will tell if they hold charge long enough to be beneficial. I built this little homemade solar panel in about 3 hours time and with no hang ups.

I read the manual once, got all my parts, and then from beginning to end of building it was only 3 hours. I have a stair case out in front of my window so I put the solar panel there. Luckily the sun rises on that side of the house and gets light about 75% of the day. This should be enough to charge those batteries and supply me enough power for the evening on the computer.

I didn't do this project to save money using solar power, because a large chunk of my energy is from solar panels. I did this to see how easy it would be for people to make their own homemade solar panel. You could build several of these and use them in different rooms of your house. Like for your TV, stereo, phone chargers, ipods, computers, fans, etc. Just think how much you could save.

The best part is that they are not hooked up to your grid so they a not really complicated to build and install. I made mine small enough that I could move it inside at night time. And it'll be really useful when I go camping in a few weeks.

I'll try to keep you updated of how long it takes to charge, how long the batteries last, and my overall impression. So check back soon and I'll talk with you later.

Are you curious about building a Homemade Solar Panel? They show you everything you will need to know, even if you have no electrical or "handyman" skills. I could not have done it so easily without them.